Pasta E Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)

🥘 Ingredients

• bay leaves
  2
• beans (cannellini, 15 ounces each, or 3 cups cooked beans, Great Northern beans, or chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
  2 cans
• black pepper (freshly ground, to taste)
• broth (vegetable)
  4 cups
• carrot (scrubbed clean, finely chopped)
  2
• cavatelli (about 4 ounces, ditalini, elbow or small shell pasta of choice)
  1 cup
• celery (ribs, finely chopped)
  2
• crushed tomatoes* (15 ounces)
  1 can
• finely chopped italian parsley
  1/4 cup
• garlic (pressed or minced)
  4 cloves
• kale (chopped tuscan, tough ribs removed first, or chard or collard greens)
  2 cups
• lemon juice (fresh, about 1/2 medium lemon)
  1 tablespoon
• olive oil (extra-virgin, divided)
  4 tablespoons
• onions (to-large yellow, medium, finely chopped)
  1
• oregano (dried)
  1 teaspoon
• parsley (garnishes: additional chopped, black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese or light drizzle of olive oil) (optional)
• red pepper flakes (omit if sensitive to spice)
  1/4 teaspoon
• salt (fine sea, divided)
  3/4 teaspoon
• water
  3 cups

🍳 Cookware

• dutch oven
• pot
• blender

1. 1

   Gather finely chopped italian parsley , crushed tomatoes* , cavatelli .

   finely chopped italian parsley: 1/4 cup, crushed tomatoes*: 1 can (15 ounces), cavatelli: 1 cup (about 4 ounces, ditalini, elbow or small shell pasta of choice)
2. 2

   In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, carrot , celery , 1/2 teaspoon of the salt , and about 10 twists of black pepper . Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about ⏱️ 6-10 minutes .

   olive oil: 4 tablespoons (extra-virgin, divided), carrot: 2 (scrubbed clean, finely chopped), celery: 2 (ribs, finely chopped), salt: 3/4 teaspoon (fine sea, divided), black pepper (freshly ground, to taste), onions: 1 (to-large yellow, medium, finely chopped)
3. 3

   Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about ⏱️ 30 seconds . Add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling all over. Add the broth , water , bay leaves , oregano , and red pepper flakes .

   garlic: 4 cloves (pressed or minced), broth: 4 cups (vegetable), water: 3 cups, bay leaves: 2, oregano: 1 teaspoon (dried), red pepper flakes: 1/4 teaspoon (omit if sensitive to spice)
4. 4

   Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for ⏱️ 10 minutes , stirring occasionally, and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
5. 5

   Use a heat-safe measuring cup to transfer about 1 1/2 cups of the soup (avoiding the bay leaves) to a blender . Add about 3/4 cup of the drained beans . Securely fasten the lid and blend until completely smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Pour the blended mixture back into the soup.

   beans: 2 cans (cannellini, 15 ounces each, or 3 cups cooked beans, Great Northern beans, or chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
6. 6

   Add the remaining beans, pasta, kale and parsley to the simmering soup. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about ⏱️ 20 minutes , or until the pasta and greens are pleasantly tender.

   kale: 2 cups (chopped tuscan, tough ribs removed first, or chard or collard greens), parsley (garnishes: additional chopped, black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese or light drizzle of olive oil)
7. 7

   Remove the pot from the heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice , the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add another 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup as desired, and serve.

   lemon juice: 1 tablespoon (fresh, about 1/2 medium lemon)
8. 8

   Leftovers taste even better the next day. Allow leftover soup to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or, freeze leftover soup in individual portions and defrost as necessary.
9. 📝

   *Tomato recommendation: I always use Muir Glen tomatoes, and used their fire-roasted crushed tomatoes since they don’t offer plain.

10. 📝

    Make it gluten free: Use a small, sturdy, gluten-free noodle, such as a corn and quinoa blend.

11. 📝

    Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t add cheese. Simple as that.

12. 📝

    If you don’t have a stand blender: You can use an immersion blender to blend (carefully) a portion of the liquid with the beans in a separate (heat-safe) container. Or, skip this step altogether. Your soup will be a little more chunky and less creamy, but still very good.

13. 📝

    Nutrition: Fat: 10.3 g Calories: 319 calories Saturated Fat: 1.5 g Sodium: 1376.1 mg Fiber: 9.7 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Carbohydrate: 47.2 g Sugar: 7.4 g Serving Size: 1 bowl Trans Fat: 0 g Protein: 12.8 g